Supermarket Skincare Lookalikes Could Save Shoppers a Fortune. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
When one shopper learned Aldi was offering a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".
Rachael rushed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.
The smooth blue tube and gold top of each items look strikingly alike. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.
She has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.
More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, as per a February study.
Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and offer cost-effective substitutes to premium products. They often have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can change substantially.
Victoria Woollaston
'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'
Beauty professionals contend some dupes to luxury brands are reasonable quality and help make skincare less expensive.
"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."
"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast about public figures.
Many of the products inspired by luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist another professional believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.
"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory degree."
A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.
'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'
But the experts also suggest shoppers do their research and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the extra money.
Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the label and promotion - at times the higher cost also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science used to develop the product, and tests into the products' effectiveness, she notes.
Facialist another professional suggests it's important thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.
Occasionally, she states they may have less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.
"One major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.
Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".
"Don't be sold by the container," he added.
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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to research-backed companies.
The expert explains these probably have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.
Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.
When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different firms, she adds.
Examine the Back of the Pack
Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is poor?
Components on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
